


I never wanted anything else

by redex_writes



Series: AWO Fictober 2020 [8]
Category: A Way Out (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fix-It of Sorts, Hopeful Ending, It's not described but I almost always headcanon that Leo and Linda's relationship is open, Letters, Love, M/M, Supportive Linda Caruso, Vincent has a lot of guilt, Vincent testified against the leaders of his op
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:41:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27041413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redex_writes/pseuds/redex_writes
Summary: Fictober prompt 16Leo is set free with a letter from Vincent, and needs to figure out where he goes from here.
Relationships: Leo Caruso/Linda Caruso, Leo Caruso/Vincent Moretti
Series: AWO Fictober 2020 [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1941064
Comments: 2
Kudos: 33
Collections: A Way Out Fictober 2020





	I never wanted anything else

_Leo,_

_I know you probably have a lot of questions, not all of them I have answers to right now. A lot has happened in the last few weeks, and I’m going to try to explain as much as I can in this letter, but I won’t be able to cover everything here. The card in this envelope has the address, map, and a transit card, as well as some money for travel, food, etc. Even if you decide not to come, please keep the transit card and the money. It’s the absolute least I can do._

+++

The folded paper feels heavy in Leo’s pocket, like it’s weighing him down as he steps out into the cool morning air. The sun is beginning to rise, and it’s painting the sky with soft tones of purple and pink, and he has to stop for a moment to admire the view that he’d thought he’d never see again. Just yesterday, he was sitting in his dark, stuffy prison cell, his boiling anger giving way to cold resignation that this was the rest of his life. Now, standing outside of his house in the first rays of dawn, breathing the fresh air, he feels like this may be the start of something new.

He shoots one last look to the house behind him. Linda had offered to get up with him to see him off, but he’d brushed it off. She’d looked exhausted, and she’s already done so much for him.

Besides; this is something he needs to do on his own.

His fingers curl around the letter in his pocket as he walks, running over the blunt edges of folded paper. The directions are in his bag, but he already knows them by heart.

The first bus is delayed, which gives him some time at the deserted bus stop to sit and gather his thoughts. The last twelve hours have been a whirlwind, an overwhelming blur of emotions and confusion.

_“Leo.”_

_The sound of his first name had him turning instinctively; no one ever used first names around here. When he saw Emily standing in front of his cell, his blood began to boil._

_“The fuck are_ you _doing here?” He hissed, fists clenching._

_Emily didn’t look perturbed. She was dressed in uniform and holding a manilla folder, arms crossed over her chest._

_“Come with me.”_

_Leo wanted to tell her to get lost, but there was no point anymore. He was_ tired _. So instead of snapping at her, he got up from where he’d been sitting on the bed and waited for her to unlock his cell._

_She hadn’t told him what was going on until they were outside. Leo squinted at the blinding light, raising his hand to shield his eyes to look at her properly._

_“You’re fucking with me,” was all he could say when she’d finished her curt explanation. She shook her head._

_“It’s all right here.” She gestured to the folder. “The jury was unanimous. There’s a federal investigation and everything--not that it’ll change much, but it’s enough to get you out at least.”_

_Leo shook his head, unable to process everything she’d said. He had so many questions, but the only thing he could think to ask in that moment…_

_“Is he okay?”_

+++

_They’re not happy with me, that much I know. The look on the captain’s face when he read the paperwork from my lawyer was its own kind of terror. The amount of strings being pulled behind the scenes in that operation was immense, and to have someone come forward to expose it is unprecedented. But my testimony means a lot to the case, since I was in such close contact with you the whole time. Bringing light to the level of corruption in that operation is absolutely necessary. I know it’ll be enough to get you out._

_Even if they conduct any sort of investigation, it’ll only be a formality. That’s why I’m leaving California; not to mention the lifetime of bad memories it comes with._

_I know things aren’t that simple for you, though. That’s why I understand if you can’t or don’t want to come meet me. I’m sure that Emily’s told you and Linda about the compensation that will be provided for your family--that won’t change based on your choice. Whether you come or not is completely up to you._

***

The bus drops Leo off at the train station. It’s still quite early, but the first pedestrians of the morning rush are starting to show up, so he hastily pays and finds a seat on the train.

Out of habit, he slouches down in his seat and pulls the collar of his coat up a little as he leans against the window. The train boards slowly, but he pays no mind to the other passengers as they trickle into the car.

After what feels like hours, the train dings and starts forward, gathering speed until they’re racing down the tracks. Leo lets his forehead rest against the cool glass of the window, the cold soothing the tension between his brows a little. He feels his eyelids start to droop, and he stifles a yawn as he pulls out the map to triple check.

_“36 hours by train?” Linda looked up from the paper in her hands, eyebrows raised. Leo slumped into a chair and sighed, rubbing his forehead._

_“I know. It’s a lot.”_

_“And he paid for all of this?”_

_Leo winced. “Yeah. Yeah, he did.”_

_“But the money is ours to keep if you decide not to go.” Linda was back to scanning the letter, mouth slightly open as she processed._

_Leo grunted. She looked up at him again, then discarded the letter to the table and laid a hand over his._

_“I just don’t know what to do.”_

_Linda nodded, lips pursed. Leo knew that things hadn’t been easy for her, and definitely not for Alex. The last thing he wanted to do was put anything else on their shoulders. But yet…_

+++

_Washington is a good place; I’ve been here many times. I don’t know if this will be my final destination, but it has good work, and good schools. As Emily should have told you, relocating your family will need to happen as soon as possible. Whether in Washington or elsewhere, make sure you get out of the state as soon as you can get your affairs in order. You may be a free man, Leo, but you know as well as I do that ‘freedom’ is relative, and that if you fall into more trouble, I’m not going to be able to help you again._

+++

The sound of screeching brakes jolts Leo from his half-sleep. He checks his watched; two hours have passed. His stomach growls, and he looks wistfully out the window, wishing he had enough time at this stop to grab a burger. As it is, he unzips his bag and pulls out a carefully-wrapped sandwich.

When he pulls his hand out of the bag, another paper falls to the floor. He hurriedly grabs it to stuff it back into his bag, but finds it hard to make himself let go. The words he read last night bounce around in his head and, sandwich forgotten on the seat beside him, he unfolds the note and instinctively hunches over it as he reads.

+++

_Leo,_

_I’ve been debating writing this for days. I know there isn’t really a reason to, since I explained everything that you and Linda need to know in the letter. This is more for selfish purposes, I guess; though, Lord knows I’ve been selfish enough for the entire goddamn country at this point._

_No amount of “I’m sorry” that I write on this paper is going to undo what I did. I hurt you and your family, I lied, I betrayed your trust. And every moment of it was hell._

_When they took you away, the captain told me that I’d done a “great job.” That I was a “hero.” But I didn’t feel like a hero, Leo. I felt like the scummiest person alive. I felt like I was watching someone who had become so much to me in a short time walk away in chains. I felt like I had done something irreparable._

_I know that this doesn’t fix that. I hope the money will help with your general wellbeing, and I hope to god that you and Linda and Alex find yourselves safe and content after the absolute hell you three have been through. But I also know that some things can’t be fixed that way. Some things can’t be healed that easily, or at all._

+++

_The twice-refilled coffee pot had been emptied, and Linda brushed Leo’s shoulder as she took both of their mugs to the kitchen. He nodded in thanks, then turned his attention back to the letter spread out on the table in front of him._

_“So?” Linda asked as she sat back down, fingers lacing in his. “Have you decided?”_

_Leo exhaled slowly, trying to rid his chest of the tight feeling it’d had since Emily had handed him the letter._

_“I don’t know,” he confessed. “I...I can’t…”_

_“Hey.” Linda squeezed his hand comfortingly. “It’s okay.”_

_“It’s not okay.” Leo ran an agitated hand through his hair. “This shouldn’t even be a question for me. We get the money either way, and I get to stay with you and Alex and leave all of this shit behind.”_

_Linda nodded, but she didn’t say anything. The room fell quiet, the only sound being Leo’s fingers tapping against the wood of the table._

_Finally, Linda spoke up softly. “I think you know what to do.”_

_He looked over at her. She was giving him_ that _smile--the one she gave him where she knew he was too wrapped up in his own head to be thinking straight on his own._

_“Did you read the second letter?”_

_The way Leo’s cheeks flushed as he quickly looked away answered her question. She hummed._

_“I know that this isn’t as simple as you’re pretending it should be.”_

_Leo swallowed, hands clenching nervously on the table. Linda smoothed out his fingers, patting his hands._

_“I know love when I see it, Leo.”_

_His breath caught in his throat. “I don’t--”_

_“Don’t even start with me.” Linda fixed him with a sharp look, and he shut his mouth. There was a fond look in her eyes, and they twinkled when she smiled again._

_“Do you love him, Leo?”_

+++

The rest of the passengers on the train are fast asleep, but Leo’s eyes won’t close. He lost count of the hours after hour twenty, but he’s pretty sure they’re on the last leg of the journey.

A soft giggle catches his attention from a few rows ahead. A woman is sitting with her head close to the man seated next to her, and though Leo can’t see much in the dim light of the car, he can see that she’s smiling. Her face is practically radiant as she talks in low tones with the man, then leans over to rest her head on his shoulder. He sees their hands lace together, and his heart aches enough to make him turn away.

The lights from the side of the track flash in the windows as they speed by, and Leo’s thoughts begin to drift again.

+++

_I thought I had it all figured out. I went from a solid B student straight to the academy, then straight to my first job after that. I married my high-school sweetheart. I followed the path that my father laid out for me. My life has always been on a well-lit road, where I can see every stop along the way. I had what I thought I was meant to have, and I never wanted anything else._

_And then I met you, and you turned everything upside down. Everything I thought and felt, everything I had been so sure of before...all of it was different. You made me look at things from perspectives I’d never seen, you showed me how it is to live and be alive. You came into my life, took the picture perfect future I thought I wanted, and blew it away. And that is the single most wonderful thing that anyone has ever done for me._

+++

Getting off of the train feels like emerging from a cocoon. Leo takes a few minutes to stretch his arms and legs out, grunting at the popping of his joints, before shouldering his bag and heading out to hail a cab.

His hand is still curled around the second note in his pocket.

+++

_I thought I was imagining it, at first; That it was just my mind playing tricks on me, that the way you looked at me and talked to me and touched me was completely normal, and I was just twisting it in my head._

_That night you kissed me, you joked that I looked like I’d seen a ghost. In a way, I kind of did. I saw the expectations I’d had for my life die before my eyes, and for a moment, I felt like I was looking at the world the way you do. I realized in that moment that the whole universe was open to me, and that I could choose any path I wanted and live it for myself._

_And then you kissed me again, and it all made sense. It was insane and mixed up and probably stupid, but it made sense._

+++

If the cab driver picks up on Leo’s nerves, he blessedly doesn’t say anything. When he finally drops him off at the location, Leo’s practically shaking, but he manages to pay and exit the cab without having a complete freak-out. He takes a deep breath to steady himself, then looks up at the building he’s been dropped off at.

The hotel isn’t huge, but it’s still impressive enough that Leo already feels intimidated. After walking into the lobby and stumbling through some bullshit explanation to the front desk worker, he boards the elevator, room key in hand, and holds his breath as he watches the floor counter tick up.

+++

_I’d never seen it before, because I’d never looked. I married Carol because I thought that it was love, but I never even gave a chance to figure out what love really is. Love is trusting someone enough to share parts of yourself with them that you’ve never shared with anyone else. Love is knowing when to step in, and knowing when to keep out. Love is feeling so overwhelmed, yet so content at the same time. It’s feeling safe in the middle of the forest in a storm. It’s holding someone tightly and knowing that they won’t let go. It’s your heart making up its mind that this is the person you would do anything for._

_Love is terrifying, Leo. But it’s enough. It’s enough for me to go through with testifying. And it’s enough to finish writing this letter, even though I know that the chances of seeing you ever again are slim to none._

_I love you, Leo. And love is what showed me that all my life, even though I didn’t know it, I never wanted anything else._

+++

It’s only when he raises his hand to knock on the door that Leo realizes his hands are shaking. He knocks three times and quickly shoves his hands in his pockets, trying to slow his racing heart.

There’s a horrible silence for all of five seconds before the lock clicks from inside the room, and the door opens slowly.

Leo swallows around the lump in his throat. Vincent’s face goes from hesitant, to shocked, to nervous and back again. Leo’s half-expecting him to don the unperturbed mask of an expression that he wore when they first met, but as he looks into Vincent’s eyes, he sees nothing but vulnerability, and a little bit of hope.

He smiles a little.

“Hi, Vince.”

Vincent smiles back; a slow, genuine smile that makes his eyes crinkle in the corners and makes Leo’s heart skip a beat.

“Hi.”

“Can I come in?”

Vincent nods, stepping aside to let Leo into the room. The door closes behind them, leaving the hallway still and quiet once more.

+++

_This letter has gone on long enough; I probably sound like I’m rambling by now. I just couldn’t let that go unsaid. There’s too much in my life that I’ve missed already._

_I love you, Leo. Thank you for everything, and I hope that wherever you are, wherever you end up, you’re safe. I hope that from now on, you can feel at peace._

_Love,_

_Vincent._

**Author's Note:**

> Full transparency: I wrote this in one sitting and it is 2 AM. Coherency has left the chat y'all
> 
> I hope you enjoyed! I've been toying around with this idea format for quite some time, and I really like the concept. Let me know if you have any concrit or opinions! Have a good day/night, and remember not to push yourself too hard today.


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